New members are welcome.  Annual dues are to be paid by the end of each year.  Pro-rated amounts are charged for partial years.  Suggestions of other ways to support the Center are monetary donations, helping at meetings and events, and donations of historical memorabilia and items for displays.  Oronoco and the surrounding area has a rich and interesting history.  The Oronoco Area History Center is a place where history can be kept and made available to the public.  Please help support the Oronoco Area History Center!

Thank you for visiting our site!

By Barbara Smallbrock

THE BEGINNING

A group of German settlers came to this area in the mid 1800s and homesteaded along the south branch of the Zumbro near what was later known as “white bridge.” Many of these settlers were of Lutheran background.

Rev. William Lange, a pastor at St. Peters church near Pine Island served this group as early as 1875. He resided at Poplar Grove.

They would gather for services at the Coon Grove school house.

Later, for a time, Rev. Schaaf, of Rochesters Missouri Synod served this group. He helped organize them as St. Pauls Lutheran Church in 1879. In 1880, Rev. Lange once again served this group and joined them with St. Peters of Poplar Grove and Minneolas Township congregations as a single parish.

In 1900, about half of the people left the congregation and founded their own church in Oronoco. They continued to use the Coon Grove School building for worship. During 1907-1908, the membership had grown so much that the schoolhouse was too small. So for a time they had their services at the Presbyterian Church in Oronoco where they met afternoons.

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Brothers George, Edwin, and Agon Mohlke and their sister Esther were early settlers of the Oronoco and Rochester area.  Until 1922, the brothers and their wives produced only boys, but that year was different.  Myra was born in April to George and Mary in Oronoco; June arrived in June (of course!) to Agon and Mabel in Rochester; and Irene (Kris’ mother) was born in July to Edwin and Martha in rural Rochester. The Mohlke girls shown in the photo below are (from left to right) June Mohlke Hubmer (now lives in Mankato); Kris’ mother Irene Mohlke Peters (died in 1995); and Myra Mohlke Markham, who grew up in the Oronoco area and married a young man from her neighborhood.  The couple lived in Oronoco for many years until they both died in 2007.

Karl Glabe
Ruth Glabe
Gaylord Kautz
Doris Mae Kautz

Barbara was once a writer for the Rochester Post Bulletin. She contributed many articles about Oronoco and its citizens. These articles are in some of the many scrap books that Barbara has donated to the Center. She has also donated a copy of her very interesting autobiography.

Below is a picture of one of the items to be placed in the Library. The lovely doll is modeling the dress worn by Barbara Smallbrock when she was baptized many years ago.

(Click on the pictures to see larger versions.)

Barbara Smallbrock, former Postmaster of Oronoco for many years, has loaned the History Center the following displays. Please come and see them while we have them as they are just a loan, not a gift. 

Below Barbara is holding one of her stamp posters.

Other pictures of her stamp collections follow below.

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The mannequins in the picture below are dressed in uniforms from WWII. On the left is a soldier’s uniform. On the right is a Red Cross nurse’s uniform. In the center is an old egg case. Some historical items are in the drawers and can be pulled out to view.

This flag was flown over the Coon Grove School.

There are several authors from the Oronoco area who have either written about Oronoco, or who are from Oronoco and have written about their travels elsewhere.  Two authors mentioned already on this web site are Elsie Boutelle and Ann E. Rice.  Ann E. Rice’s book was only a manuscript and was never published, except for having been typed up by Elsie Boutelle for her book Oronoco Past and Present which is shown below:

The Center also displays the following books: 

My Life, East and West, the earliest book about Oronoco that we know of, was written by William S. Hart, the movie actor.  (His book is the gray one pictured below with another book.)

Helen Douglass wrote about the railroad that ran through her home town and the township of Douglas.  The book also tells a lot about early Oronoco.

The most recent writer from this area is Matthew Mohlke, who has donated copies of his book about his experiences while canoeing down the Mississippi River entitled Floating Down the Country and his more recent book The Man Who Swam the Amazon.  Matt wrote the following inside the cover of the latter book, “5-22-08 - to the Oronoco Area History Center.  Boyhood exploration of the Zumbro River near Oronoco kept leading to bigger rivers.”  The History Center is most appreciative of Matt’s donation of these two books.

Visitors may read these books at the Center; however, the books must remain there for future readers to enjoy.  Some of the older books are very rare, and it is important that they be preserved.

The OAHC invites news and stories about other citizens of renown from you, our readers.  If interested in contributing such information, please contact Hazel Markham by calling (507) 367-4374 or by e-mailing her.